Hong Kong has delivered its toughest verdict yet under the national security law.
It’s landed on one of the city’s most recognisable faces.
Jimmy Lai, the 78-year-old media tycoon and outspoken pro-democracy figure, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. For “colluding with foreign forces.”
For critics, it feels less like justice and more like a full stop. For the government, it’s proof the law has teeth.
“This is incredibly heartbreaking,” Lai’s son Sebastien said.
He warned that the sentence amounts to a “death sentence” given his father’s age and fragile health.
Rights groups agree. Hong Kong’s leader, however, called the ruling “deeply gratifying,” insisting it upholds the rule of law.
Lai’s Symbolic Fall
So how did it come to this? Lai, a British citizen and founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily, became a symbol of resistance.
It was during the 2019 mass protests. Prosecutors pointed to his meetings with senior US officials as evidence of foreign collusion.
Lai has always denied the charge, saying he was simply explaining Hong Kong’s situation.
Outside the court, supporters queued for days, hoping for one last glimpse. Inside, Lai smiled calmly as the sentence was read.
Once a refugee who built a media empire, Lai now embodies a harder truth: in today’s Hong Kong, dissent doesn’t just come at a cost—it comes with a countdown.
